In mid-March, she stunned the audience again, by achieving a jaw-dropping 299 out of 300, the best score seen on any Korean music competition show, with her rendition of “Over the Rainbow,” the classic ballad from “The Wizard of Oz.”

On Sunday, she sang “You Raise Me Up,” an internationally popular and inspirational song. The performance wasn’t perfect as she got overwhelmed by emotion and her voice shook occasionally. But what mattered was she touched listeners’ hearts.

BoA, a K-POP star and one of the three judges, deeply empathized with Ji-min and fought back tears as she spoke after the performance.

“When I was your age, I was all by myself and alone in Japan. It was so hard for me. People often said ‘Because you are BoA, you must do well.’ It was very helpful but at the same time I hated it. I can relate to how you feel…but I am so proud of you that you finished the song,” BoA said. But she added, “Since you got teary and your voice became a bit unstable, I couldn’t be generous with grading.”

Then her score for Ji-min appeared on the screen – 99 out of 100.

The final showdown is next Sunday. But it’s clear fame and fortune lie ahead for both.